Health Innovation Research Alliance Northern Ireland

Health Innovation Research Alliance Northern Ireland HIRANI connects & acts as a single voice for Life & Health Sciences in NI

Just launched! SEAM, a founder first festival will take place in Belfast on 17th November and two tracks are open now:• ...
21/08/2026

Just launched! SEAM, a founder first festival will take place in Belfast on 17th November and two tracks are open now:

• Idea Track: For founders with a problem worth solving, no product required, small prize pot involved
• Growth Track: For pre-seed/seed founders with something built and early signal, looking to get in front of 50+ investors on the day
Applications are open now and close 30th August for Idea and 11th September for Growth.

Featured Founders will be announced on 26 September.
Apply here: https://seamfest.org/?i=

Find out what SEAM is
FRIDAY 21 AUGUST
12:00 – 12:30 BST
Online

A short session on what SEAM is, who it is for, and how to take part find out more at https://seamfest.org/?i=

As part of the HIRANI Mentoring Programme 2026 sponsored by Roche Diagnostics UK & Ireland, we are hosting our first web...
21/08/2026

As part of the HIRANI Mentoring Programme 2026 sponsored by Roche Diagnostics UK & Ireland, we are hosting our first webinar in the series “From Mentoring Conversation to Innovation Progress” on Friday 4th September at 10am online.

Hosted by Dr Hassan Chaudhury HonFAPM, Commercial Director at DATA-CAN, Expert in Residence, London Institute for Healthcare Engineering, and Sean O'Connor PhD, Cluster Innovation Lead at HIRANI, this webinar will connect mentoring conversations with practical next steps in innovation and commercial development.

This session will explore how innovators can identify and navigate critical milestones across areas such as evidence generation, regulation, funding, strategic partnerships and market adoption.

The aim is to encourage participants to reflect on where their innovation currently sits, identify the key facilitators and barriers to progress, and consider how mentoring can support clearer decision-making, stronger commercial thinking and focused action.

Email [email protected] for the web link to attend.

Our August Company of the Month is BXTA Nanotherapy Ltd, an innovative NI medtech company advancing the development and ...
21/08/2026

Our August Company of the Month is BXTA Nanotherapy Ltd, an innovative NI medtech company advancing the development and commercialisation of nanotherapeutics, specifically gold nanoparticles, to improve treatment outcomes for patients with cancer.

Dr. Niall M Byrne is the Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder.

“Radiotherapy remains the primary treatment option for many cancers, including localised prostate cancer, where around half of men are treated with curative intent.

Despite recent advances in how radiotherapy is delivered, treatment still fails for roughly 20–30% of men with unfavourable intermediate- to high-risk disease; around 3,500 men per year in the UK.

Even when radiotherapy succeeds, it can damage neighbouring healthy tissue, including the bladder and bowel, significantly impacting patient quality of life. With global prostate cancer cases predicted to double to almost 3 million by 2040, novel interventions are required to enhance radiotherapy treatment outcomes.”
Read more at www.hira-ni.com

The NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) has over 500 funding opportunities open for researchers at al...
21/08/2026

The NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) has over 500 funding opportunities open for researchers at all stages of their innovation journey.
Find out more and apply at https://lnkd.in/eaGP7U8p

Join Sustainable Healthcare: Caring for People and Planet with the School of Nursing and Midwifery Queen's University Be...
18/08/2026

Join Sustainable Healthcare: Caring for People and Planet with the School of Nursing and Midwifery Queen's University Belfast on Tuesday 15 September.
🙌 This one-day, in-person, interdisciplinary conference will bring together health and social care professionals, patients and service users, researchers, educators, students and policymakers to explore sustainable healthcare and planetary health in Northern Ireland and beyond https://lnkd.in/e7DbCd28
Public Health Agency (PHA)

Join the Design for Healthcare Environments Ireland conference this September.🌳 The environment in which care is deliver...
18/08/2026

Join the Design for Healthcare Environments Ireland conference this September.
🌳 The environment in which care is delivered has a significant impact on patient safety, dignity, staff wellbeing, operational effectiveness and the day-to-day experience of patients, families and staff.
🌳 Whether you are planning a new healthcare facility, developing a community-based care setting, improving an existing environment or addressing an immediate operational challenge, DHEI will provide practical examples, evidence, contacts and ideas that you can share with colleagues and apply within your organisation.
🌳 The conference will open at the RDS Dublin on 29 September with Professor James V. Lucey, Inspectorate of Mental Health Services, exploring Human Rights-Based Healthcare by Design. Across 29–30 September, you will hear from colleagues from across Ireland, alongside selected international contributors, sharing practical learning on:
• using good design to improve new builds, refurbishments and existing environments, supporting better care and service delivery;
• safer, therapeutic and inclusive environments;
• evidence-based approaches to ligature-risk reduction;
• sensory-informed and trauma-informed design;
• human-centred design and co-production
• opportunities and challenges of implementing technology in care environments.
🌳 The specialist exhibition will also provide an opportunity to see and compare products and solutions in person, ask detailed questions and explore their suitability for current or future projects. For clinical and estates colleagues, this is a valuable opportunity to consider safety, usability, maintenance, patient experience and long-term performance together before decisions are made.
View the programme and register: https://www.dhei.ie/

Mindset-XR: Exploring XR for mental health - Talking Therapies webinar📅 9 September 2026🕛 9 – 10:30amThis webinar brings...
18/08/2026

Mindset-XR: Exploring XR for mental health - Talking Therapies webinar
📅 9 September 2026
🕛 9 – 10:30am
This webinar brings together NHS leaders, clinicians and innovators to explore how XR technologies are being used to support the delivery of talking therapies and wider mental health services.
The session will explore:
• The NHS innovation landscape
• Emerging XR applications for mental health care
• Adoption, implementation and scaling challenges
• Practical lessons from innovators and healthcare leaders
Upcoming webinars in the series
Following the Talking Therapies webinar, the Mindset-XR series will also explore XR-enabled innovations focused on:
• Children and young people's mental health - 28 September 2026 12-1:30pm
• Dementia and older adults’ wellbeing - 19 October 2026 12-1:30pm
• Workforce wellbeing – 2 November 2026 12-1:30pm
Find out more and register for your free place at: https://lnkd.in/e7G_AGzM

The British Business Bank has announced a new £20m commitment to Belfast based Cordovan Capital Management’s latest fund...
18/08/2026

The British Business Bank has announced a new £20m commitment to Belfast based Cordovan Capital Management’s latest fund vehicle, CCP III LP, with the deal made under the Bank’s new Growth Equity strategy.

As a UK small business private equity specialist, Cordovan takes majority shareholdings in companies, typically via management buy-outs or buy-in transactions, and works very closely with senior leadership teams to help them achieve their growth ambitions.

Led by partners and co-owners Mike Irvine and Daniel Anderson, Cordovan's investment is often a pivotal moment in helping businesses scale, professionalise, acquire or merge with other businesses, and transition or develop SME management teams.
https://lnkd.in/eEcwP7rm

“Northern Ireland has something distinctive: scientific quality, clinical access, an experienced diaspora, close institu...
14/08/2026

“Northern Ireland has something distinctive: scientific quality, clinical access, an experienced diaspora, close institutional relationships and links to the United Kingdom, Ireland, Europe and the United States. Their value depends on how deliberately they are connected.”

For our August Thought Leadership article, we hear from Robert D. Ladner, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Founder, CV6 Therapeutics on the company's decision to build in Belfast, and on why Northern Ireland must continue producing excellent science and now move to repeatedly building and scaling companies from it.

"That requires long-term investment, informed risk-taking and support through the difficult ground between discovery and commercial success.”

Read the full story at www.hira-ni.com

🙌 Registration is now open for the SHE Women's Health Forum 2026! On Wednesday 9 September, leaders from healthcare, gov...
14/08/2026

🙌 Registration is now open for the SHE Women's Health Forum 2026! On Wednesday 9 September, leaders from healthcare, government, research, education, innovation and patient advocacy will come together at Parliament Buildings, Stormont to explore the future of women's health in Northern Ireland.

🙌 At a time when Northern Ireland remains the only UK nation without a Women's Health Strategy, this forum provides an opportunity to bring together the people shaping policy and practice to discuss the challenges women face, identify priorities for change and explore how to improve outcomes for women and girls across Northern Ireland.

Speakers include Claire Sugden MLA, Dr Alice McGee (Flo Health Inc.), Dr. Hazel Wallace (The Food Medic), Dawn Shackles (Community Foundation Northern Ireland), Catherine McDaid (Ulster University & Deputy Mayor of Derry City & Strabane District Council), Breeda Bermingham (Henpicked), with many more voices from healthcare, government, academia, charities and patient advocacy joining the conversation.

Whether you're a healthcare professional, policymaker, researcher, educator, student, patient advocate or simply passionate about improving women's health, join through the link below 👇

📅 Wednesday 9 September 2026
📍 Parliament Buildings, Stormont
🕤 9:30am – 12:30pm
🎟️ Register here: https://lnkd.in/ekrjfsmy

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3 Dargan Crescent
Belfast
BT39JG

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